IDPs who refuse state housing face losing official status

Internally displaced persons (IDPs) in Azerbaijan could lose their official status if they reject government-allocated housing, under a draft law debated by parliamentary committees.

The proposed amendment to the legislation on refugees and IDPs was discussed during a joint session of the parliament's human rights and social policy committees on Wednesday, the local APA news agency reported.

Under current laws, displaced citizens only lose their status if they return to their original towns and villages, or if they accept alternative accommodation provided by the state.

The new bill introduces a third trigger, terminating official status for anyone who refuses the housing offered to them by authorities.

A transitional clause in the draft also states that individuals who have already been provided with new housing in retaken territories will see their IDP status revoked immediately once the law is enacted.

Government officials have justified the amendment by arguing that providing a citizen with a new home constitutes a formal restoration of their property rights.

The proposed legal changes come as Baku accelerates its "Great Return" programme to resettle areas in Karabakh and East Zangezur.

The government aims to resettle 34,500 families – totalling around 140,000 people – in these regions by the end of 2026.

This target represents approximately 25% of Azerbaijan's estimated 650,000 registered IDPs, who were displaced during the conflict with Armenia in the 1990s.